We'd all have been as angry as they were.
Grieving sisters Hayley James and Mandy Pinney were at a crematorium bidding a final farewell to their 87-year-old dad Terry after his funeral – only to be fined £200 for overrunning their 40-minute slot, the last of the day, by 48 seconds.
Yes, really.
For far too many people across the country it is the kind of jobsworth opportunism that allows firms and councils to cash in at our expense.
A Freedom of Information request revealed Hayley and Mandy were far from the only ones to suffer at the hands of North East Lincolnshire Council.
Over a 21-month period, 20 similar fines racked up £4,000. It now remains to be seen whether the council will stick to a pledge to scrap the policy.
“Rules are rules” firms and councils insist, pointing to watches, the small print and every other hidden guideline that enables them to put common sense and compassion to one side.
Traffic wardens have been taking advantage of motorists on that basis for years.
Last month, 73-year-old Frank Ward of Doncaster was hit with a £100 fine by Wyre Council after taking his arthritis-ridden dog, Henry, for a final outing before the animal was due to be put down.
Henry had been in so much pain he’d needed a stroller.
When the buggy hit a sand dune and Henry fell out, however, a council worker appeared “from nowhere” to issue Frank with a £100 fine, arguing that dogs were banned from the beach between May and September.
Wyre Council gave Frank time to pay – but insisted he had to cough up, until the media shamed them into backing down.
Good on 80-year-old Merseyside gran Maureen Sanders then, who told her local council where to go when they tried to impose a £50 fine on her in January, arguing her dog’s lead was too long. They too beat a retreat, scrapping the charge.
Ordinary people are fed up of being seen as easy targets to make money. It is quite right that we fight back.
